Discussion ported over from PassCarList

[princessclyne69]

I was watching this discussion on the Passenger Car List from groups.io. I’m sure at least a couple of people here have seen it:

Until the mid-1950’s the MP ran a heavyweight lounge car between New Orleans and Houston on trains 3 and 4, the Orleanean.

The car had about 12 coach seats in the forward end, a kitchen, 4 booth type dining seats and tables, and at the rear a dozen or more individual lounge chairs.

While a Santa Fe Pullman from the west coast ran on this train, the MP lounge was open to coach passengers. The Pullman came off some time in 1954 or 55, after which the lounge portion of the car was sold as first class seats.

Would anyone have any photos or other information about these cars? Unfortunately I do not have any car numbers.

Steve Bartlett

The conclusion on that list was that these cars were probably from the group 10906-10909.

Is there anything that someone here can add? My reference books are now all in Wichita, while I am not.

RG7

[benjamintickell53]

Pullman line 4505 operated between New Orleans and Oakland CA, NOT&M(MP) between New Orleans and Houston and Santa Fe west of Houston. On May 8, 1956 the New Orleans-Houston segment was discontinued, with the line continuing to operate from Houston west. At that time, MP began selling the lounge seats in the diner as parlor seats, to offer first class service since Pullman day room usage was no longer available.

I have no information on the MP cars used from mid-1956 through 1957. However the Houston Depot Passenger Agent Daily Activities sheets in the Gulf Coast Chapter NRHS Archives offer the following information:

In January and February 1958, as well as December 1958, MP cars 477 and 478 were utilized. The 1958 ORPTE characterizes these cars as “chair car & dining-parlor, seating 54. These two cars are somewhat of a mystery, having originated as StLB&M (Gulf Coast Lines) cars of the same numbers. General MP practice was to number lightweight cars in 3-digit series, with heavyweight cars in 4-digit series. However, these cars had ice air-conditioning which seems unusual on a lightweight car. Car 477 was last shown in the January 1959 ORPTE, while 478 last appeared in the January 1961 ORPTE, thus neither car shows up in the MP 1963 passenger car fleet renumbering. Does anyone have diagrams of these cars?

In April 1959, MP cars 462, 478 and 10402 were all utilized at times during the month. 462 was a diner-parlor seating 40, while 10402 was a diner-lounge seating 32. In June and December 1959, and June 1960, cars 462 and 10402 were used.

Only a handful of daily reports survived for January 1961, but cars 478 and 10402 were noted. In April 1962, cars 10238 and 10402 were utilized. The 1958 ORPTE lists 10238 as a diner-lounge seating 18.

Bill Pollard

[attachment=0:3fv6shu8]GCC997Page3-w_oct-3-58.jpg[/attachment:3fv6shu8]

[benjamintickell53]

Thanks to Charlie Duckworth, we have a little more information on MP/StLB&M cars 477 and 478. The cars were originally built in 1926, and the configuration was 8 seats in cafe, 12 seats in lounge (sold as parlor car seats in 1956 and later), and 20 seats in the coach section. Hopefully photos of these cars exist somewhere.

Bill Pollard

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